Part twelve! I have a feeling you guys are going to freak out about this one. . .
The Sacrifice 
Part Twelfth: Alone
Penelope stumbled onward, up the slope before her. Tripping on tree-roots and fallen logs, and large rocks, slipping on small ones. Branches and thorns tore at her clothes and skin, pine-needles slid beneath her feet—she scrambled blindly forward, her vision blurred by tears. She finally reached the end of the hills, with the mountains, rocky and frightening yet majestic, rising above her; and got her first glimpse of the dragon’s lair:
It was high above her, opening onto a wide shelf of rock at the top of a steep cliff. All she could see was a dark hole in the mountain-side, but the smoke drifting out on the wind from it made it unmistakable. A small path led up to it, to the left of the cliff; and up this steep trail she began to climb through the rugged, mountain terrain.
To keep her mind off how steep and narrow the path was and how fearsome the smoking cavern, she began to sing as she walked. The first thing that came to her mind was a hymn, and she sang it.
As the deer panteth for the water,
So my soul longeth after You.
You alone are my heart’s desire,
And I long to worship You.
You alone are my strength, my shield;
To You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire,
And I long to worship You.
She started the second verse:
You are my friend, and You are my brother,
Even though You are a King. . .
Her earthly brother was going to be a king too. She had never thought of that. But now she was not going to live to see him crowned. Tears burned suddenly against her eyes, but she blinked them away, and sang the third verse instead:
You are worth more than than gold or silver,
Only You can satisfy. . .
All she could think of was dragon hoards! She resorted to the chorus again—at least that was safe. She sang it, over and over again. Sweat poured down her face as she scrambled upwards, gripping the rocks on either side of the steep path until her hands throbbed, and her mouth was dry, and her throat on fire with thirst; but she kept singing until she needed all her breath to climb. She was panting when she reached her destination.
She drew back in horror as came up level with the cliff-top and looked out across it; for stretching out on the ledge lay Lord Abadalyx the Insatiably Greedy. He had his back turned to her; and he filled the whole ledge, with his twelve-foot tail at the Princess’s feet while he looked listlessly over the far side.
Penelope stood paralyzed, knowing she must not run but with everything in her screaming to do so. If looking at a dragon over a city wall surrounded by people you love and trust is one thing, looking at one that is lying at your feet with nothing in between you, and knowing that you have come to surrender to it—and knowing that someone coming to rescue you is out of the question, much less their succeeding—is quite another.
She had a vague idea that she must get the dragon’s attention—make it turn around. Pretend she was not afraid. She tried to sing, but her song wouldn’t come. You alone. . . Alone? She was alone. What came next? Something about a shield. . . ?
Slowly the monster lifted its head, sniffed, then turned towards her in surprise.
——————————————————————————-
*Quotations from “As the Deer” by Martin Nystrom
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I – can’t -even – think – of – words
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WhatIsSheGoingToDo
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do. Not. Let. Her. Die.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*hyperventilates*
This part was really, really good by the way 🙂 . I think it’s one of my favorites, actually! Great job!
Great job with this part – it’s really well written!!! I hope Friday comes quickly!!!
Thanks, guys! I think Friday’s coming as quickly as it can. . . but (spoiler alert–kind of) I don’t think you’re gonna’ be happy with me, even after Part 13.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
DON’T DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please.
-Jai P.S. This part was really well written. 😉
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awwwwwwww………………….
I don’t know why, but I have this hunch that he’s the kind of dragon that’s gonna turn into a prince…………..
Hmmmmm……………Friday, be quick!!!!!
Oh……. I didn’t think about THAT………….. 🙂 ~Sky
Hmm, maybe first, he’ll turn into a frog, then a prince. And Penelope IS a princess after all….;-)
-Jai
Ya know, I might have agreed with Ellen, except for the fact that freaking out is so much funner that thinking that the dragon could possibly be nice. So, until further notice, I think I’ll continue freaking out. 🙂
A……. frog??? ~Sky
Um, that last comment from me was supposed to be a reply to Jaidyn’s comment…. I don’t know why it went down there…… 🙂 ~Skylar
😀 This is really fun from my side.
🙂 ~Skylar
Goodness sakes, stop freaking out, everyone!!! You all know Hanna, right?? Sweet, blonde, nice, tenderhearted………..come on. She wouldn’t let one of her characters die like this. Please just take a deep breath……..*deep breath*……….calm your nerves.
Okay, you can freak out now.
Okay … okay … *deep breath*
HANNA, DON’T YOU DARE LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO PENELOPE.
… okay, done now 😀 .
There, that’s much better.
IS PENELOPE GOING TO DIE?????!!!!!!!! ~Skylar
No.
*Deep breath* If you say so…………… 🙂 ~Sky
How would she know, Sky? 😉
Um…… she knows you well???? Plus, her description of you sounds about right. 🙂 I mean, come on. Sweet, blonde, nice, tenderhearted, that’s totally you, and does that sound like the kind of person who would kill a princess?? 🙂 ~Skylar